MRS. BUSH: Thanks so much everybody. Thank you for coming out
this afternoon. I'm so happy be here in Pennsylvania to meet all of
you and to talk to you about why it's so important to reelect George W.
Bush. (Applause.)

The President and I first traveled together back in 1978, when
George was running for Congress. Newly married, we spent a lot of time
in our car driving up and down the panhandle of West Texas. Believe
me, you learn a lot about your husband when you spend that much time in
a car with him. (Laughter.) By the end of the campaign, he'd even
convinced me to vote for him. (Laughter.)

And now, this is our last campaign. Being on the campaign trail
isn't what it used to be. These days, we get to travel in a very nice
airplane -- and George isn't behind the wheel anymore. (Laughter.)
But we still love the main part about campaigns, which are the people,
the great people that we get to meet all over our wonderful country.
So thank you all very, very much for coming out today. (Applause.)

I want you all to know that I'm supporting Senator Arlen Specter,
and I hope all of you are too. (Applause.) He deserves to be
reelected in November.

And I hope you'll send Melissa Brown to Congress. (Applause.) And
be sure that you reelect Jim Gerlach. (Applause.)

Dr. Brown, Melissa Brown, has dedicated her life to serving others
through medicine and education, and she'll be a very effective public
servant in Washington, D.C. I also really appreciate Sheryl Perzel,
who is expanding educational opportunities for Pennsylvania through --
as the president of the New Foundation Charter School. Thank you,
Sheryl, and please thank John for his leadership in the Pennsylvania
State House. (Applause.)

I also want to encourage you to vote for John Peters and Tom
Corbett for auditor and attorney general. (Applause.) and thanks to
Cotter Edden for singing our National Anthem. Thank you very much.
(Applause.)

And to Monsignor Timothy Senior for his beautiful invocation.
(Applause.)

And a very special thanks to volunteer Karla Churchville. Carla
spends countless hours making calls and rounding up volunteers for the
President's campaign. Thank you, Carla, very, very much. (Applause.)

And George and I want to thank each and every one of you, everyone
who is out here. I see somebody who grew up in Midland, Texas --
(laughter) -- each and every one of you for your help in his campaign.
I know that you see what I see: The President is a leader during these
historic times. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

MRS. BUSH: The President is hopeful about our future because he
has tremendous confidence in the American people. He has a good and
compassionate heart. When he took office, he was determined to
accomplish great goals on behalf of the American people. At the time,
we couldn't possibly have imagined how challenging the last three years
would be. But I've known George Bush for nearly 30 years, and I've
known for every second of our time in the White House that the
President has the character and the courage to meet the demands of our
times. (Applause.)

On taxes, health care and education, on promoting compassion at
home and democracy abroad, the President has stood solidly on the side
of people who are working to make life better for themselves and their
neighbors. Thanks to the President's tax relief plan, millions of
families are keeping more of their own money and they're deciding how
to use it. In some families, tax relief means more money to pay the
monthly bills. In other families, it means money to start a college
fund or a retirement fund. For small business owners, tax relief means
expanding their operations and adding jobs. These millions of
individual decisions are lifting our economy and improving the lives of
people all across our country. (Applause.)

And the economy just keeps getting better. We're experiencing the
fastest economic growth in 20 years. The home ownership rate is at an
all-time high. And I love this fact: Minority home ownership in
particular is strong. (Applause.) We've set a new record in the first
quarter of this year, and that is that more than half of all minority
families now own their own homes. (Applause.)

And since August, more than 1.4 million new jobs have been
created. The record is clear. More Americans are proud to be back on
the job, thanks to our growing economy. (Applause.)

The President understands that reliable health care is fundamental
to our economic security. No one can feel confident about the future
if they fear that the next illness might wipe out their savings or
drive them into debt. That's why the President is taking action to
make health care more affordable and more accessible to millions of
Americans. He worked with Congress to add a prescription drug benefit
to Medicare and to help seniors afford their medicines. He's expanding
health insurance options for Americans, promoting new ideas like health
savings accounts. And the President has proposed a plan for reforming
the medial liability system to reduce junk lawsuits. (Applause.)
Those junk lawsuits drive up the cost of medicine and they drive
doctors out of their practices.

Education is also close to the President's heart and to mine.
(Applause.) And I want to congratulate Jane Ring, who spoke to you
earlier, who was the Teacher of the Year in her neighborhood. Thank
you very much, Jane, for being here with us. (Applause.)

From day one, the President has been a friend to parents and
teachers who want to improve America's schools. My husband is so
committed to education because he looks at schools the way parents
would look at schools. He wants to make sure that children who are at
risk of being left behind get the help they need to be successful
students.

The No Child Left Behind Act is bringing more money, higher
standards and stronger accountability to schools throughout America.
Now parents are getting better information about their children's
school, and children are getting the extra help they need. (Applause.)

The President and I have spent a lot of time traveling to schools
around our country, talking with teachers and parents who devote every
day to children. During these school visits, I've seen the President
reading with children, encouraging them as they go through their
lessons, talking to them about the importance of going to college. He
knows that education policy is not just about passing laws in
Washington, but instead it's about giving teachers and parents and
students the tools they need to provide a first-rate education for
every child in America. (Applause.)

My husband has always believed that government can be a force for
tremendous good in our society, and he appreciates the great work
that's done outside government by compassionate citizens who recognize
a need in their community and then take action to meet that need.
George and I have seen first hand the enormous good and generous hearts
of the American people. Compassion and ingenuity are being put to work
all over this country to lift up lives, from the mentoring of children
of prisoners to bringing meals and a few minutes of friendly
conversation to our elderly neighbors. America rises to meet every
challenge, and we have a boundless capacity to improve the lives of
people around us.

As we help our neighbors at home, we also are sharing the blessings
of liberty with our neighbors abroad. The terrible acts of September
11th -- and one of those ended right here in Pennsylvania, in a field
in Pennsylvania -- they showed us the face of evil in the world. But
they also called us to the great work of promoting freedom and
democracy in the far corners of the world.

Today 50 million more men and women and children live in freedom
thanks to the United States of America and -- (applause).

From the very night of September 11th, when George and I were
reunited at the White House, I've seen his courage and character guide
his efforts. The President organized a broad coalition of different
countries to remove the Taliban from Afghanistan, al Qaeda's biggest
supporters were driven from power, and the people of Afghanistan are
liberated from their oppressors. Today, women can walk freely on the
streets in public without male supervision. (Applause.) Millions of
girls are going to school, many for the first time in their lives. And
Afghanistan's new constitution protects the rights of all people to
vote and to speak freely. (Applause.)

In Iraq, the brave men and women of our military, along with allies
from many nations, toppled Saddam Hussein's government and liberated
the Iraqi people. (Applause.) They are now free from the tyranny of a
brutal regime, and they are full of hope for a new government.

At the end of this month, new Iraqi leaders will begin making
decisions about security, economic progress and other issues that are
so important to their citizens. President Bush met with the new Iraqi
President at the G8 summit in Georgia last week. The Iraqi President
thanked the United States and especially the men and women of our
military for their sacrifices. (Applause.)

That same week, the United Nations Security Council unanimously
passed a resolution pledging the U.N.'s help in making the new
government a success and paving the way for free and fair elections in
Iraq beginning tin the new year. Thanks to the tremendous work of our
coalition, this is a time of great promise for the people of Iraq.
(Applause.)

I'm proud of my husband for recognizing the new realities of the
world and for taking action to meet them. I'm proud of my husband for
so many reasons, not least of which is the dignity and respect he shows
for every single person he meets, the same dignity and respect he has
for the office he holds. (Applause.)

He has worked hard on behalf of all Americans from the day he took
the oath of office, and now it's our time to work for him. All of you
can contribute so much to our campaign by simply getting the word out
about the President's record of accomplishments and his vision for the
future.

Please talk to your neighbors and friends, sign up with the
campaign here in Pennsylvania, and make phone calls or go door to door
bringing the President's message to voters. Everything you do to reach
voters and to get them to the polls will be a huge help to the
President. (Applause.)

These are hopeful times for Americans. We look to the future with
great confidence in our ability to overcome challenges. And these are
times that require particularly strong and determined leaders. I'm
proud that my husband is that kind of leader.

Thank you very, very much for your friendship. Thank you all very
much. (Applause.) Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for
working hard to reelect President Bush. And may God bless you and may
God continue to bless America. Thank you all so much.